Exercises for Remediating Lumbar Spondylitis

Have you been suffering from chronic back pain that does not seem to go away? Having back pain can be quite distressing. Overall, it stops one from fully enjoying life’s activities. 

One major cause of lower back pain is lumbar spondylitis which can severely affect spine health. Over time, along with chronic pain and stiffness, the condition causes reduced back mobility. To the surprise of many, the symptoms start to show up early in adulthood and are also known to develop even in teens and children.

Therefore, it is important to note the signs and symptoms of pain and discomfort that might be associated with lumbar spondylitis. This will help you seek early support to manage your back pain with the help of exercises and treatments for a quicker recovery.

Lumbar Spondylitis: A Major Cause of Lower Back Pain

Lumbar spondylitis is an arthritis-like condition that affects the lower part of the spine. In medical terms, it is also known as ‘ankylosing spondylitis’. It is caused by inflammation of the joints and ligaments of the spine, resulting in chronic lower back pain. It is a progressive condition, and if left untreated the inflammation may lead to severely limiting movement of the back and further immobility of the spine.

In addition to affecting the spine and the back, the condition may cause compression of the spinal cord inside the spine’s bony structure. This can cause serious nerve damage, leading to numbness, tingling, and weakness in the lower parts of the body.

Symptoms of Lumbar Spondylitis

The condition is characterised by chronic pain in the lower back area that develops and intensifies over time, ranging from a few months to years. While the major symptoms are stiffness of the spine and lower back pain, other severe symptoms may appear over time.

As for the pain, you may observe one or many tell-tale signs including the following. 

• Feel moderate to intense pain in the lower back area, including the buttocks.
• The intensity of the pain may vary throughout the day. It could be especially worse in the mornings and evenings. The pain might progress with the hours, hampering your sleep cycle.
• The pain might show signs of improvement with warmth, like hot showers, or with exercise. Contrarily, it might get worse with rest. 
• The intensity of pain might not be the same every day. At times, the pain might be moderate to excruciating, while at other times it might fade completely.

Causes of Lumbar Spondylitis

Scientists haven’t yet ascertained the exact causes of lumbar spondylitis. However, certain genetic predispositions and environmental factors could be the underlying cause for many people. 

Other factors contributing to the development of this condition include, but are not limited to:

• Family history of the condition
• Having Crohn’s disease
• Being younger in age as the onset usually starts before 45
• Being assigned male sex at birth, although studies suggest the condition is underreported in females

Therapies and Treatments for Lumbar Spondylitis

There is no up-front cure for lumbar spondylitis. That being said, holistic remedies like having physiotherapy sessions with experienced healthcare professionals, can significantly improve lower back pain and overall improve your spine health. 

You may book a free consulting session for your lower back pain with one of the leading names in physiotherapy at FlexifyMe. 

Physiotherapy and Yoga for Lumbar Spondylitis

The most important and life-changing step you can take towards managing and recovering from lumbar spondylitis is to incorporate physiotherapy. This therapy option helps you heal by addressing various aspects of the condition and leads to holistic healing. Physiotherapy and yoga helps through: 

• Correcting posture through various spine-aligning therapies and exercises  to strengthen the spine and surrounding tissues
• Yoga poses and stretches to enhance flexibility and strengthen spinal tissues
• Massage therapy to relieve pain
• Acupuncture and cupping

Yoga poses, including stretches, are especially helpful in the holistic healing of lumbar spondylitis. Try these easy-to-follow beginners’ yoga poses that help relieve lower back pain. Remember to follow caution and listen to your body. You may consult your physician prior to performing these exercises. 

Yoga Poses for Lumbar Spondylitis

Cat and Cow Stretch: These are two alternating poses in the same exercise. One pose resembles a cat stretch and another like the hump on a cow’s back. This pose improves spine flexibility and eventually mobility. Depending on the level of your comfort, you may either choose to do both poses or just pick one. The steps are:

1. To start with the exercise, get down on your hands and knees with palms resting on the floor right underneath your shoulders. Adjust your knees so that they fall comfortably under your hips, such that the knee bends at a 90-degree angle. Keep the spine neutral and the core slightly engaged. 
2. Now, while inhaling deeply, move into ‘Cat Pose’ by arching your back and lifting your head and tailbone towards the ceiling. Your belly with automatically lower towards the mat. Make sure that the chest area is not constricted and your shoulders are away from the ears. Stay in this pose for a few seconds, and while exhaling continue onto ‘Cow Pose’. 
3. For the ‘Cow pose’, while exhaling curve your back towards the ceiling by pulling in your abdominal muscles towards the spine. Keep the chin tucked into the chest as much as comfortably possible. Hold this pose for a few seconds before smoothly flowing back into the ‘cat pose’. Do not forget to inhale again as you arch down your spine again.

Child’s Pose: This is a traditional yoga pose that works around the spine by strengthening the supporting muscles. It also relieves pressure in the shoulders or neck area that often accompanies lower back pain. 

Follow these easy-to-follow steps to get into Child’s Pose:

1. Rest your palms and knees on the ground, lower your entire back, and rest your hips on your heels. Your abdomen will rest on your thighs.
2. At your upper body, stretch your arms in front of you with palms down and as much as comfortably as possible. Place your forehead on the mat.
3. Stay in this pose, continue breathing calmly and deeply, and focus on relaxing tension or tightness in the body.
4. You may hold this pose for up to a minute.

Knee-to-Chest Stretch: This movement brings in deep muscle activation in muscular areas of the lower body like thighs, hips, and glutes. It helps to relax this area thereby building a strong support for your lower spine. 

To do the knee-to-chest stretch, follow these simple steps:

1. To start, lie comfortably on your back. Bend your knees and rest your soles firmly on the floor. 
2. Now, you need to work with each leg, alternatively. To work with your right leg, keep your left leg in the bent position, or stretch it out straight and rest your heel on the floor. 
3. Bring the right knee towards your chest and brace it with your arms on top of the shinbone.
4. Keep your core engaged and avoid hunching as you wrap around your arms over the leg. Try to elongate your spine as comfortably as possible.
5. Breathe naturally without putting pressure on your chest. Hold this pose for up to a minute.
6. Repeat the same steps with your left leg.

If you are comfortable with doing one knee-to-chest stretch, you may try this pose with both knees at the same time. To do this, instead of lifting one leg at a time bend both legs wrap your arms around them, and bring them close to the chest. Do not forget to breathe normally all the while.

Pelvic Tilt: This simple, one-move stretch and hold pose helps you immensely with lower back pain by strengthening abdominal muscles. Although it might sound unrelated at first, strong abdominal muscles help to reduce spinal injuries. It also works the glutes and hamstrings thereby providing further support to your spine. 

The steps to do a pelvic tilt are:

1. Lay down on your back. Bend both your knees and rest the soles of your foot flat on the mat. Place your hands on the side. 
2. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged. You will know your core is properly engaged when your back flattens against the floor. Breathe normally.
3. Now, tilt the pelvis slightly upwards while keeping the back pressed on the floor. Hold this position for up to 10 seconds.
4. Release the core, take a few deep breaths, and repeat the pelvic tilt. In each exercise session, you may do up to 3 sets with 3 to 5 repetitions in each set.

Seated Lower Back Rotational Stretch: Yoga and stretch can also be done while sitting. This pose adds variation and can be done anywhere. You need to grab a chair that allows a full range of movement. This stretch works on your lower back, hips, and outer thighs by enhancing their flexibility, and can bring palpable relief. 

To do the ‘seated lower back rotational stretch’, follow these simple steps:

1. Sit on an armless chair or stool. Make sure your feet are comfortably resting on the ground and there is no pressure on the inside of your knees. 
2. Cross the left leg over your right leg. While keeping your right arm straight, press your right elbow gently against the outer side of the left knee. At the same time, hold the edge of the chair with your left hand for added support. 
3. Twist and stretch your back towards your left. While focusing on your breathing, hold the pose for 10 seconds. Return to the neutral position.
4. Repeat for the other side. 

You may do this stretch twice a day up to 3-5 times on each side.

Additional tips: Wondering how to work around everyday chores with lumbar spondylitis? Some tips include avoiding activities that involve bending or stooping, especially work that involves heavy lifting from the floor. Sit for as little duration as possible, maintain correct posture while sitting, and add back support. While standing, keep your core engaged and balance your weight equally on your legs. Sleep on a firm mattress with lumbar support that will help maintain the natural curve of the spine.

Treatments for Lumbar Spondylitis

Certain medical treatment, which consists primarily of medication regimes might help manage the symptoms. The doctors might prescribe one or many pharmaceutical drugs or other medications like:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help with the primary inflammatory condition, e.g., ibuprofen, may help.
• TNF inhibitors, or Janus Kinase inhibitors, which suppress adverse immune activity are also prescribed.
• Corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammation and manage pain. These are sparingly used due to their side effects

For people suffering from aggravated conditions like neurological complications, surgery might be the only option. However, due to associated complications, it is suggested only sparingly. Surgical procedures may removal of parts of the spine (laminectomy), correcting spinal abnormalities (spinal osteotomy), or hip joint replacement. 

Conclusion

Lumbar spondylitis is a chronic and painful condition of the lower spine. If left untreated it can aggravate and may even cause loss of spinal mobility. One of the primary ways to address this condition is an early diagnosis and holistic treatment like physiotherapy. 

One of the key components of physiotherapy is stretching and yoga poses. These exercises correct your spine posture and alignment, and at the same time strengthen supporting muscles and tissues for a stronger and healthier back. There are many simple stretches and yoga poses that you can incorporate into your daily life. Pick and choose what feels comfortable and positively challenging to you and find relief from lower back pain.